Tag Archives: Safety

Jury, Paving, and GEFA in LCC Packet @ LCC 2019-09-23

Lowndes County staff are proposing to spend $124,454, according to all the “BUDGET IMPACT”s board packet: $48,500 for a Jury Management System, $1,469.00 for Condemning ROW for Howell Lane Paving Project, $3,500.00 (approx.) for Second Modification of GEFA Loan Agreement, and for the Fire Department $29,195.00 for a 1/2 Ton Truck and $41,790.00 for a Breathing Air System.

[Survey plat: Revised County RoW for Howell Lane]
Survey plat: Revised County RoW for Howell Lane

They propose to borrow $1,734,000 from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA).

The Lowndes County Commission discusses Monday morning at 8:30 AM. They vote 5:30 PM Tuesday.

[Project Budget]
GEFA Loan Agreement Project Budget

For the first time ever! Lowndes County has returned the board packet before the Work Session.

LAKE sent an open records request Tuesday, and the county actually supplied the packet Friday, with this note: Continue reading →

Videos and packet: Millage, SPLOST VIII, Wastewater, roads, bridges, mosquitos, Construction Board @ LCC 2019-08-12

County Manager Joe Pritchard said Finance Director Stephanie Black has received a millage report from the Tax Commissioner. He and she will prepare something from it for the Lowndes County Commissioners for a later meeting.

The board packet is on the LAKE website, in response to a LAKE open records request.

Below are Continue reading →

$1.5 mllion on wastewater, SPLOST VIII, roads, bridges, mosquitos, Construction Board @ LCC 2019-08-12

The resolution to reimpose the SPLOST tax as SPLOST VIII, was not included with the agenda for the tax-paying public to see. LAKE has filed an open records request for the entire board packet. Perhaps the county will supply it before they vote tomorrow.

[Land Application Site]
Land Application Site

Four bids were received for LAS and Pump Station Improvements with the high bid at $3.3 million, and the low at $2.5 million, but apparently the county negotiated the low bidder, Doyle Hancock & Sons, down to $1,520,858.00. This is “for improvements to the LAS [Land Application Site, aka wastewater spray field], Bevel Creek, Francis Lake, and Coleman Road lift stations.” The LAS is between Grassy Pond and Pike Pond, a few thousand feet from the GA-FL line, in the Withlacoochee River watershed. Continue reading →

Special Called Meeting to approve SPLOST VIII Projects @ LCC 2019-07-31

You got a notice about this meeting two days in advance, if you signed up for the county’s alerts, which is twice as long as they usually do. Special Called Meeting,

Wednesday, July 31, 2019
A special called meeting will be held to adopt the amended SPLOST VIII Agreement.

Date: July 31, 2019

Time: 8:30 AM

Location: Board of Commissioners
Administration Building

Address: 327 N. Ashley Street
2nd Floor
Valdosta, GA 31601

[Lowndes Project List]
Lowndes Project List
PDF

Here is Lowndes County’s SPLOST VIII Project List. The biggest items are water and sewer at $23 million and sports at $13,274,912, followed by the historic Courthouse at $12 million. Note nothing about Continue reading →

Videos: Knudson & Son Outdoor Activities, Sheriff, Intrusion Detection, Bids @ LCC 2019-06-10

The Naylor Boat Ramp should be finished in about two weeks.

Before they vote tonight at 5:30 PM, the Lowndes County Commission met in Regular Session yesterday morning, when tied for most time was the paintball-like game venue that was surprisingly contentious at the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA).

That rezoning tied for amount of time with Continue reading →

Knudson & Son Outdoor Activities, Sheriff, Intrusion Detection, Bids @ LCC 2019-06-10

Update 2019-06-10: ZBOA denied almost all of the variances the same applicant requested.

The paintball-like game venue that was surprisingly contentious at the Planning Commission, is on the agenda for Monday and Tuesday at the Lowndes County Commission. GLPC voted 5-1 to table until the June Planning Commission meeting, but the Planning Commission is merely a recommending body: it does not decide rezonings. The county’s agenda sheet says “The TRC considered this request and had no objectionable comments, and staff finds the request consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.” The County Commission could decide to ignore the Planning Commission and approve this rezoning anyway.


Still from LAKE video of REZ-2019-08 in the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

The Sheriff’s department wants to buy laptops and handheld citation thingies for $85,934.66.

IT wants some cyber-threat-detection service, at unknown cost.

All that and some bids for vehicles.

Here is the agenda. See also the Continue reading →

Videos: DFSCS Board appts, Old Hwy 41 N rezoning, paving, and alcohol @ LCC 2019-04-08

About six minutes in yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, including the office space rezoning recommended last month by the Planning Commission.

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM. Below are Continue reading →

DFSCS Board appts, Old Hwy 41 N rezoning, paving, and alcohol @ LCC 2019-04-08

On the agenda for this morning is reappointing Mrs. Elsie Napier to the Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services Board. I don’t know if she will speak, but here’s video of her previously speaking at the Valdosta City Council about community grants.

Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, still of LAKE video of Elsie Napier at Valdosta City Council, 2016-10-05
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, still of LAKE video of Elsie Napier at Valdosta City Council, 2016-10-05.

There’s also a rezoning for offices on Old US 41 North, two alcohol licenses, a Bid for Purchase of Structural Fire Fighting Gear, and two road paving items, for Boring Pond Lane and 2019 Resurfacing of Five County Roads, plus 2019 Re-striping of Four County Toads.

They expect this Work Session to take less than 15 minutes, since they have a Special Called Meeting at 8:45 AM: “There could be a slight delay if the work session runs longer than expecte.” Why they couldn’t wait one day to vote on that also in tomorrow’s Regular Session is mysterious.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: farewell Jason Davenport, approval limits, CALEA, personal care home @ LCC 2018-09-11

The county held a ceremony for departing Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport. I asked the person sitting in his former seat, Engineering/Planning Technician Molly Stevenson, if she was confirmed yet. She would only say it was confirmed that she was sitting there right then.

They also had a 911 CALEA Re-Accreditation Presentation and the Chairman recognized Leadership Lowndes.

Citizens Bob Harlan and Fred E. Blanton Jr complained about road conditions. I thanked Utilities Director Steve Stalvey for sending information about recent Lowndes County sewage spills (two in July), and I thanked him advance for sending the NPDES-permit-required followup testing (not yet received).

On the REZ-2018-16 Stovall rezoning, the applicant revealed the reason for the previous restriction when Continue reading →

Videos: Naylor Boat Ramp, approval limits, CALEA, personal care home @ LCC 2018-09-10

News about the Naylor Boat Ramp in an Engineering Projects Report! Chad McLeod also reported about the 911 center, the North Lowndes Soccer Complex, the fire warehouse classroom, the animal shelter, and the courthouse renovation project, all still to be completed from SPLOST VII funds, which run out next year. Even with that three-and-a-half-minute special engineering report, the whole meeting took ten minutes Monday morning.

Also not on the agenda, HR has a new employee. Also there will be a new traffic signal.

Should the County Manager and the Finance Director be able to approve Continue reading →