This time we picked the day before, and got to the market by 8AM. Gretchen moved quite a bit of sweet corn and okra, and some squash, pickles, and jam. Our most unusual items were the pumpkins. Continue reading
Tom Kuettner and his goat products. Continue reading
Here Coy Brightwell asks for a show of hands for those against
rezoning for the Glen Laurel subdivision on Old Pine Road.
Many hands went up throughout the packed room.
Even more to the point, not one neighbor spoke for the rezoning.
He ends with an additional disclaimer that he’s not against development; he’s against the density of this development in this place. VDT quoted him as saying:
“We are not against progress. We are not against the development of Lowndes County … The part that we do have a problem with is the density of this proposal. We’re just not in agreement with the drastic changes that will take place in our community (and) we are here for a compromise.”
Another view of the show of hands: Continue reading
Previously discussing the Glen Laurel subdivision on Old Pine Road near Bemiss, several of the people speaking against at the County Commission meeting mentioned the Greyfield subdivision.
That’s Greyfield Villas; see the entrance sign in the picture on the right.
It’s in Lowndes County but not in Valdosta; somebody correct me if I’m wrong abo
ut that.
In that picture it’s hard to read the sign in the background on the north side of North Oak Street Extension. Here’s a closeup:
For Rent. Just inside we see a dumpster with For Rent signs on the houses on either side: Continue reading
Previously I promised to come back to the subject of whole trees.
Allan Ricketts asserted in the VLCIA meeting with concerned citizens
on 10 June 2010
that the biomass plant Wiregrass LLC proposed for Valdosta will never
burn whole trees because it would be economically unfeasible for it to do so.
While I have no doubt that Col. Ricketts is acting on the best information
given to him, there are reasons to be sceptical about what will happen
in the future.
Continue reading 
An interesting series of exchanges here.
First Coy Brightwell compared the proposed Glen Laurel subdivision
(on Old Pine Road) to the existing Greyfield subdivision (off Oak Street
Extension) with a number of specific points: run down quickly, rental property, etc.:
Then a Mr. Mulligan gets into an interesting discussion about code enforcement: Continue reading
The regular public meeting is still on for Tuesday 22 June at 5:30 PM at 325 W. Savannah Ave. (under the water tower). The agenda does seem a mite slim: no rezoning cases, no ULDC changes. Still, there’s Citizens Wishing to be Heard. I’ll be there.
-jsq
The Glen Laurel Subdivision rezoning case that the Lowndes County
Board of Commissioners decided on Tuesday June 8 (REZ-2010-06)
raises all sorts of issues.
Let’s start by hearing Coy Brightwell (he lives just across Old Pine Road from
the proposed subdivision) summarize some points against
the rezoning, saying going all the way from RA to PD is too far,
and that the neighbors are asking for a compromise:
There’s a theme here: “we’re not against development”. We’ll come back to that.
-jsq
This is about exclusion zones around wells, and maybe about
restrictions on putting new wells next to pollution sources such
as cotton fields.
At their 8 June 2010 regular meeting, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, at the recommendation of County Planner Jason Davenport, tabled revisions to the Uniform Land Development Code (ULDC) about wellhead protection. Such protections are a new requirment by the Georgia EPD, and it’s taking a while to figure out what is appropriate for the ten wells operated by the county and the 140 private community wells, many of which have trust indentures with the county that require the county to take them over if their current operators do not supply enough water, or of good enough quality.
Picture by John S.Quarterman, video by Gretchen K. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange, 8 June 2010.
-jsq
Previously, the Valdosta City Council appointed City Council member
Robert Yost to the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority (VLPRA).
The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners debated appointing a Commissioner
to the VLPRA at their June 8 meeting:
They decided to appoint their chairman, Ashley Paulk, to the VLPRA. Chairman Paulk said he would serve, but as a private citizen. I wonder then what the point was of appointing him, rather than someone else.
When Valdosta appointed Yost, Ashley Paulk provided this statement to the VDT: Continue reading