Tag Archives: Madison Highway

Videos: Two rezonings and a beer and wine license @ LCC Regular 2025-07-08

The Lowndes County Commissioners approved everything unanimously at their Regular Session of July 8, 2025.

There was (for them) extensive discussion of the large rezoning off Coleman Road and North Valdosta Road that was controversial at their Work Session the previous morning, as it was at the preceding Planning Commission meeting. Each speaker pro and con and the Commissioners’ remarks are in these LAKE videos.

Collage @ LCC 8 July 2025

County Engineering Services Director Chad McLeod reported they are still on target to be finished by August 2nd with the Val Del Road intersection with North Valdosta Road.

Two citizens spoke. Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman thanked the Chairman for paddling in the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper. He provide dates for the 2026 paddle. He invited everyone to a chainsaw cleanup on the Withlacoochee River, and to the WWALS River Revue including the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

Jamie Parks, 106 E Grace Street, Hahira, said on behalf of some people he had been trying to get a rezoning on on Horace Ave. off of Madison Highway next to Mud Creek, which he needed to get the Army Corps to delineate the floodplain. Chairman Bill Slaughter said they would look into it.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item or speaker, with some notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: Rascal’s, VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Regular 2025-06-10

Update 2025-06-11: Half a million or zero dollars for the bar Lowndes County bought with no agenda item? 2024-07-09.

In Citizens Wishing to be Heard, Gretchen Quarterman spoke about Transparency and the purchase of Rascals, wondering why Lowndes County Commission approval of that purchase was not a lot more visible, instead of being recorded only in Minutes as a vote that took place after an Executive Session and everybody else had left. See below for more detail.

Kelly Saxon spoke about affordable housing, including asking for a town hall and a telephone contact.

The Lowndes County Commissioners at their Regular Session last night added an item, Chairman – Add agenda item to repair Hahira Health Dept (8b). That’s more than they did for the Rascal’s purchase back in July 2024. More on that in a later post.

Collage @ LCC 10 June 2025

Last night, they unanimously approved all the agenda items, including reappointing the incumbents to the two boards.

Nobody spoke against either of the two rezonings.

For 7.b. Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper, they mentioned that prices had doubled, and locking in a price now would avoid further price increases.

In her Reports, County Manager Paige Dukes recognized Kellerman Construction and Jimmy Cone for their work on 8.a. Bid – A New Facility for Lowndes County Fire Rescue No. 4.

Earlier, Chairman Bill Slaughter called for Leadership Lowndes to be recognized, but, maybe for the first time ever, there were none present.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall was absent from this meeting.

Here are LAKE videos of each Work Session agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Work 2025-06-09

Update 2025-06-11: Videos: Rascal’s, VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Regular 2025-06-10.

The Lowndes County Commissioners didn’t have much to say at their Work Session yesterday morning. They did discuss potential paving of dirt roads under 6.b. REZ-2025-09 All Metal Buildings, 2515 Madison Hwy, ~2 acres, C-G to C-H.

They vote this evening at their Regular Session at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC 9 June 2025

This Fire Station #9 is on James Road: 7.b. Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper.

Station Locations

This one is in Minneola, near the Stone Creek subdivision: 8.a. A New Facility for Lowndes County Fire Rescue No. 4. In which County Manager Paige Dukes revealed that the county had obtained the old Rascal’s building. That’s at 4875 US 41 South in Lake Park. More later in another post about the somewhat irregular conveyance of that former Rascal’s location to the county.

Here are LAKE videos of each Work Session agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

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

VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC 2025-06-09

Update 2025-06-10: Videos: VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Work 2025-06-09.

Vincent Miller wants to be reappointed to the Parks and Rec Board. Lynn Orenstein would like to be reappointed to the board of Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). Samuel Clemons has applied to be on each of those boards.

Plus almost $6 million dollars will be decided this week by the Lowndes County Commission, for a pump truck and a station for Fire Rescue.

VLPRA & DFCS appointments, 2 rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 M Fire Rescue @ LCC 2025-06-09

Cost	What
$4,767,660.00	A New Facility for Lowndes County Fire Rescue No. 4
$1,063,876.64	Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper
$21,000.00	Service Agreement with SGRC to Perform Hazard Mitigation
$5,852,536.64	Total

About the Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper: Continue reading →

Videos: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27

Nobody showed up to oppose any rezoning, and 43 minutes is lightning fast for a Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

The Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of each item. The Lowndes County Commission and the Hahira and Valdosta City Councils make the actual decisions.

Collage @ GLPC 27 May 2025

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

Rescheduled: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27

Update 2025-06-07: Videos: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27.

Reschedule: because there was no quorum at the originally-scheduled date, the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) will meet this evening at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

I suppose it’s a coincidence that two different requests for “a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a reinstated machine and welding shop in a Highway Commercial (C-H) zoning district” about two Valdosta blocks apart are on the agenda for Monday’s Planning Commission meeting.

Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira case, @ GLPC *Rescheduled* 2025-05-27, Two Valdosta cases, both machine and welding shops

There’s one Hahira case for “Special Exception for a financial institution in R-P zoning”.

And two Lowndes County cases, one for 10 acres from E-A to R-A, and the other for 1.9 acres from C-G to C-H.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials for the Valdosta and Hahira cases are on the LAKE website, because Valdosta and Hahira City Planner Matt Martin sent them.

See other post for the packet materials for the Lowndes County cases.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, May 12, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, May 19, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
Continue reading →

Packet: Lowndes County materials @ GLPC 2025-05-19

Update 2025-06-07: Videos: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27.

Update 2025-05-20: There was no quorum, so there was no GLPC meeting yesterday.

In addition to the two Valdosta machine and welding shop Conditional Use Permit requests, this evening the Planning Commission will hear a C-G to C-H rezonings request for All Metal Buildings to “unifity the commercial zoning on the properties for their expanding business” across Madison Highway east of the Valdosta Airport.

Collage, Lowndes County rezoning materials @ GLPC Packet 2025-05-19

Plus there’s a county request north of Naylor for E-A to R-A near the Cherry Creek that flows into the Alapaha River a bit upstream from Old State Road in Lowndes County and Hochkiss Road in Lanier County.

Those Lowndes County packet materials, received in response to a LAKE open recor ds request, are on the LAKE website.

Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-19

Update 2025-05-19: Packet: Lowndes County materials @ GLPC 2025-05-19.

Collage @ LCC Packet 2025-05-19

There’s one Hahira case for “Special Exception for a financial institution in R-P zoning”.

And two Lowndes County cases, one for 10 acres from E-A to R-A, and the other for 1.9 acres from C-G to C-H.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials for the Valdosta and Hahira cases are on the LAKE website, because Valdosta and Hahira City Planner Matt Martin sent them.

The Lowndes County materials are not, because I miscalculated the date of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting as May 26 when it is actually May 19, so the LAKE open records request was scheduled to go out this Tuesday. I have sent an open records request to the county for the May 19 meeting. Meanwhile, the county already sent the minutes from the previous GLPC meeting, and those are on the LAKE website.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, May 12, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, May 19, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
Continue reading →

Videos: All Valdosta cases: 2 small and 1 big annexation and rezoning @ GLPC 2024-07-29

All the items were for Valdosta, and the Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of all of them, two of them with conditions.

Collage @ GLPC 29 July 2024

Six special conditions accompany the recommendation for the Bemiss Road Yazmin Saucedo storage facility and the “event center called the “Enchanted Hall” that specializes in weddings, quincenaras, and family reunions, with an anticipated overall seating capacity of about 160 people,”.

Several people spoke against the Bemiss Road Freeman Investments rezoning from R-P to C-N. Several people explained to them that if this rezoning did not pass, the owner could put up a three-story apartment building. The unanimous recommendation for approval came with a condition of a 6-foot opaque wooden fence between this property and the three it backs up on.

No conditions were recommended for the Southern Gateway Madison Highway rezoning and annexation south of the airport. I spoke to attorney Bill Nijem and Valdosta City Planner Matt Martin afterwards. There is indeed a pond in the middle of the part of the property south of Race Track Road SE. It’s not clear what will happen to it; it may be used as a detention pond. The eventual development of the property is as yet undecided. It’s also between the Withlacoochee and Alapaha River watersheds, and not well-connected to creeks, so probably not a problem.

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

All Valdosta cases: 2 small and 1 big annexation and rezoning @ GLPC 2024-07-29

On Bemiss Road, the storage facility and the “event center called the “Enchanted Hall” that specializes in weddings, quincenaras, and family reunions, with an anticipated overall seating capacity of about 160 people,” seem unremarkable in next week’s agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

Two small Valdosta items and an annexation and rezoning @ GLPC 2024-07-29

For the Southern Gateway annexation and rezoning south of the airport, you can see a pond in the Aerial Location Map. Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange