Tag Archives: Mark Wisenbaker

Videos: Data Center Session @ LCC 2026-07-28

Update 2026-08-08:
Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28.

Congratulations to Lowndes County for the astonishingly forthcoming

Data Center Considerations session
after the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session on July 28, 2026.
They covered many topics of general concern, including water and power usage, zoning, and land use.

Videos: Data Center Session @ LCC 2026-07-28, Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes, Questions filtered by: Dr. Michael Noll, Verbal Moratorium: Chairman Bill Slaughter

Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes conducted the session.
She revealed that the Commissioners have directed staff to draft a datacenter ordinance by around September, or in about six weeks, as Chairman Bill Slaughter told me afterwards.

She said the public would get to see the draft ordinance before the Commissioners approved it.
She did not say anyone would get to see it before it appeared on an agenda for approval, which is how you’ve seen the Commissioners handle the recent Alcohol Ordinance and the Comprehensive Plan.

More clever than I had anticipated, she said that same afternoon she had asked
Dr. Michael Noll to take question cards from the audience and pick questions to relay.
So the head of Lowndes County Against Datacenters (LCAD) thus became the Lowndes County Commission filter for public questions. Continue reading →

Datacenter meeting after Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2026-07-28

Update 2026-07-29:
Videos: Data Center Session @ LCC 2026-07-28.

Will it be an “information sharing session”, a “presentation”, or something else?

Datacenter session or presentation? After Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 5:30 PM 2026-07-28

According to

page 2 of the agenda, “There will be an information sharing session to address data center ordinance
considerations following the adjournment of the regular meeting.”
That’s the 5:30 PM, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, on the second floor of 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA.

Or is it a presentation?
On facebook yesterday,
Dr. Demarcus Marshall – Lowndes County Commissioner, “There will be a data center presentation tomorrow (July 28, 2026) evening following our regular meeting at 5:30pm in the Judicial Complex in the Commission Chambers.” Continue reading →

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: Two rezonings and a beer and wine license @ LCC Work 2025-07-07

Update 2025-07-18:
Videos: Two rezonings and a beer and wine license @ LCC Regular 2025-07-08.

The large rezoning off Coleman Road and North Valdosta Road was controversial at the Lowndes County Commission (LCC) this morning,
as it was previously at the Planning Commission.

The County Planner presented some maps and information that were not seen in the Planning Commission meeting,
and the County Commissioners had many questions.

The LCC votes to decide tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 PM,
after a final Public Hearing in which citizens can speak.

The other rezoning and the beer and wine license were not controversial, but they will also have their Public Hearings.

Collage @ LCC 7 July 2025

Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few comments by John S. Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: Special Called Meeting to adopt FY 2026 Budget @ LCC 2025-06-30

Only two voting Commissioners were present: Demarcus Marshall and Michael Smith.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein rushed in to complete a quorum of the Lowndes County Commission.

Commissioners Joyce Evans and Mark Wisenbaker were absent.

Apparently there was an agenda, although it is not
on the county’s website.

At the end Chairman Bill Slaughter mentioned they would set the millage
once they got the tax digest.

Collage @ LCC 30 June 2025

This meeting took four and a half minutes,
even counting the minute saying they would recess until there was a quorum,
and the 45 seconds of Chairman’s comments at the end thanking
Finance Director Stephanie Black.

It is still mysterious why they couldn’t schedule this vote to be during
their Regular Session last week,
and why they only announce this Monday morning meeting Friday afternoon.

Below are Continue reading →

Packet: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC 2025-05-27

The board packet for the Tuesday Work and Regular Sessions of the Lowndes County Commission, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is

on the LAKE website.

Packet: Airport, Aging, Service, Board Appointments @ LCC 2025-05-27, $1,677,028.92 LRA funds via GDOT LMIG, Public Works mini-excavator bid

Images of each page of the packet are below.

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Continue reading →

Videos: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC Regular 2025-05-27

Update 2025-09-07: They appointed Commissioner Demarcus Marshall instead.
Videos: Lake Alapaha Well, Jail Expansion, Bicentennial, Millages, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC Regular 2025-08-26.

Commissioner Joyce Evans was absent at both the morning’s Work Session and the evening’s Regular Session, but they appointed her to two boards anyway.

At the Tuesday evening Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission approved everything unanimously, including appointing Jeff Sykes to the Airport Authority,
and “Miss Evans” to the Aging and Community Services Boards.

County Manager Paige Dukes said the opening on the Community Services Board
was because Chairman Bill Slaughter had been appointed to a statewise board,
and thus could not continue to serve on a local board.

Collage @ LCC Regular 27 May 2025

Director of Engineering Services Chad McLeod clarified which parts of which roads
would be resurfaced if the county gets the GDOT LRA funds.

Finance Director Stephanie Black said it’s a mid-size excavator that Public Works wants, following up from discussion in the Work Session.

County Manager Paige Dukes said Val Del Road work began at North Valdosta Road that day (yesterday)
and there’s a county facebook page about it.
She indicated a meeting with FEMA and a need to deal with less federal funds
and more local preparedness.
She also talked about SPLOST IX, the Metropolitan Planning Organization,
the civic center, and emergency operations, rattling off a string of dates.
Seems like she could provide a written report if she expects people to remember those dates.
She did say the bicentennial dates would be updated on the county’s website,
although I cannot find them there.

Commissioner ~~Demarcus Marshall~~ Scottie Orenstein wanted to know if there was any update on the animal shelter.
Chad McLeod said the RFP was 90% approved.

There were no Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by John S. Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.
There are some one-second gaps between videos, because I was using my phone,
which does not cycle off and on quickly enough.
Plus one towards the beginning of the Minutes item,
because I accidentally bumped it off and had to turn it back on.

Videos: Appointments to DFACS & VLPRA, Beer and Wine, Pump Station and Forklift @ LCC Regular 2024-08-13

The County Manager gave
an electrical fire report,
and said Chairman Slaughter would be sworn in on August 19 to the Georgia state Board of Behaioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
She mentioned 14 Lowndes County animals had been transported to Kentucky by the Humane Society.

EMA Director Ashley Tye gave

a weather report about Hurricane or Tropical Storm Debby: it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and not as bad as our Florida neighbors to the south.

Three citizens

spoke about a need for improved policies for animal control.

The Lowndes County Commissioners approved all the regular agenda items unanimously, with no discussion about anything but the

Utilities Forklift at their Regular Session, August 13, 2024.

They

reappointed Lonnie Denton to the Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services (DFACS).

They

reappointed Bubba Highsmith
to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA).

Collage @ LCC 13 August 2024

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

Videos: Special Called Meeting about Opioids Settlement 2024-08-12

It’s still not clear why it was urgent to have a

Special Called Meeting
about Opioids Settlements when a Regular Session was scheduled for the next day of the Lowndes County Commission.

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

Collage @ LCC Special Called Meeting 12 August 2024
Continue reading →

Videos: Appointments to DFACS & VLPRA, Beer and Wine, Pump Station and Forklift @ LCC Work 2024-08-12

There was some discussion in the 7-minute Monday morning Work Session
of the Lowndes County Commission.
They vote today (Tuesday) at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC 12 August 2024

Regarding the

Love’s Travel Stop Beer and Wine license,
no public hearing is necessary if the license is for consumption off premises.

On

7.a. Pump Station Rehab,
Chairman Bill Slaughter wanted to know how many lift stations the county has. Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange