Tag Archives: Southern Georgia Regional Commission

Packet: Appointments to 2 boards, 2 law grants, 2 lift station items, 1 Comp. Plan contract @ LCC 2025-07-21

The Lowndes County Commission this Monday and Tuesday will consider and decide on many appointments to two boards, and two Juvenile Justice grants.

The county is also outsourcing part of its five-year Comprehensive Plan Update to the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), for $30,000.

[Collage @ LCC Packet 2025-07-21]
Collage @ LCC Packet 2025-07-21

Lowndes County is still fixing problems from Hurricane Helene, this time at the Blue Lake Lift Station.

  • In September 2016 they replaced a pump there for no-bid $43,959.
  • In June 2020 they did a $71,789 no-bid emergency repair there due to corrosion.
  • In October 2021 they applied for $700,000 from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for “Permanent bypass pumps at lift station” for Bevel Creek, Whitewater, Heart road, Blue Lake, Highway 84, and Frances Lake, as well as $300,000 for “On-Site Crane/ Hoist lift station” for Whitewater, Frances Lake, and Blue Lake, all at the recommendation of Carter & Sloope.
  • In June 2022 they approved an apparently no-bid agreement with Carter & Sloope:

    “The scope of work at the County’s lift station is two-fold. A permanent bypass pump will be installed at the following six (6) lift stations: Bevel Creek, Whitewater, Heart Road, Blue Lake, Highway 84, and Frances Lake. The bypass pump will serve as the station’s backup/redundancy method if the primary pumping failed at any time. The new pump will be connected to the existing wet well and force main at the station on a concrete housekeeping pad. Where necessary based on location, the pump can be installed in an enclosure to reduce sound (i.e. if near a residential neighborhood). Electrical and controls will be installed on site with the new pump. Of the 6 stations, the following three (3) will also be retrofitted with an on- site crane/hoist system: Whitewater, Frances Lake, and Blue Lake. Those stations need a local mechanism for retrieving pumps from the wet well because of their layout and location.”

This time they have bids for the control panel, but still only one no-bid source for the pump: xylem, Inc. However, the county is going for repairing the pump this time, for $44,661.

It’s good Lowndes County is fixing its sewer infrastructure before it breaks. And it’s good they’re bidding at least part of the repairs this time.

Meanwhile, we still don’t know where the Blue Lake Lift Station is. So far as I can tell, there is no waterbody, road or street, or subdivision name Blue Lake in Lowndes County. More on that in a later post.

Cost What
$44,661.00Blue Lake Lift Station Pump Repair
$43,615.00Blue Lake Lift Station Control Panel
$88,276.00Blue Lake Subtotal
 
$30,000.002026 Comprehensive Plan Technical Assistance Contract
 
$118,276.00Total

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. Images of each page are below.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 21, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session – July 7, 2025 & Regular Session – July 8, 2025
  5. Appointments
    1. Lowndes County Development Authority

      Documents:Lowndes County Development Authority 7.pdf

    2. Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority

      Documents:Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority 4.pdf

  6. For Consideration
    1. 2026 Comprehensive Plan Technical Assistance Contract

      Documents:2026 Comprehensive Plan Technical Assistance Contract.pdf

    2. FY 2026 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant Application

      Documents:FY 2026 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant Application.pdf

    3. Acceptance of FY2026 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Award

      Documents:Acceptance of FY2026 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Award.pdf

    4. Blue Lake Lift Station Pump Repair

      Documents:Blue Lake Lift Station Pump Repair.pdf

    5. Blue Lake Lift Station Control Panel

      Documents:Blue Lake Lift Station Control Panel.pdf

  7. Reports – County Manager
  8. Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address
  9. Adjournment

-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

July-22-2025-Meeting-Packet

[PROPOSED AGENDA]
PROPOSED AGENDA
PDF

Lowndes County Development Authority

[The terms of Mr. Brooks Akins, Mr. Jerome Tucker, Mr. Gary Cannon, Mr. Barry Broome, and Mr. Clay Griner have expired. Mr. Akins, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Cannon, and Mr. Broome have all expressed an interest in being reappointed to the board. Mr. Griner is not interested in being reappointed at this time. There are now three vacant seats on the board previously held by Mr. Gary Moser, Mr. Crawford Powell and Mr. Clay Griner. Mr. Robert Green has also expressed an interest in being appointed to the board.]
The terms of Mr. Brooks Akins, Mr. Jerome Tucker, Mr. Gary Cannon, Mr. Barry Broome, and Mr. Clay Griner have expired. Mr. Akins, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Cannon, and Mr. Broome have all expressed an interest in being reappointed to the board. Mr. Griner is not interested in being reappointed at this time. There are now three vacant seats on the board previously held by Mr. Gary Moser, Mr. Crawford Powell and Mr. Clay Griner. Mr. Robert Green has also expressed an interest in being appointed to the board.
PDF

Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority

[The terms of Mr. J.D. Rice, Mr. Michael Walker, and Mr. Clay Griner have expired. Mr. J.D. Rice and Mr. Michael Walker have expressed an interest in being reappointed. Mr. Clay Griner is not interested in being reappointed at this time. This leaves two vacant seats on the board previously held by Mr. Clay Griner and Mr. Crawford Powell. Mr. Robert Green has also expressed interest in being appointed to the board.]
The terms of Mr. J.D. Rice, Mr. Michael Walker, and Mr. Clay Griner have expired. Mr. J.D. Rice and Mr. Michael Walker have expressed an interest in being reappointed. Mr. Clay Griner is not interested in being reappointed at this time. This leaves two vacant seats on the board previously held by Mr. Clay Griner and Mr. Crawford Powell. Mr. Robert Green has also expressed interest in being appointed to the board.
PDF

2026 Comprehensive Plan Technical Assistance Contract

[BUDGET IMPACT: $30,000.00 purpose of this assistance is to ensure that the 2026 Comp Plan Update in its entirety will be in compliance]
BUDGET IMPACT: $30,000.00 purpose of this assistance is to ensure that the 2026 Comp Plan Update in its entirety will be in compliance
PDF

FY 2026 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant

[BUDGET IMPACT: $50,000.00 - All expenditures are paid by Lowndes County and reimbursed 100% by the CJCC through the grant.]
BUDGET IMPACT: $50,000.00 – All expenditures are paid by Lowndes County and reimbursed 100% by the CJCC through the grant.
PDF

Acceptance of FY2026 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant

[BUDGET IMPACT: $325,000.00 CJCC Funding 100% of eligible expenses]
BUDGET IMPACT: $325,000.00 CJCC Funding 100% of eligible expenses
PDF

Blue Lake Lift Station Pump Repair

[BUDGET IMPACT: $44,661.00 FUNDING SOURCE: (X) Annual]
BUDGET IMPACT: $44,661.00 FUNDING SOURCE: (X) Annual
PDF

Blue Lake Lift Station Control Panel

[BUDGET IMPACT: $43,615.00 FUNDING SOURCE: (xX) Annual]
BUDGET IMPACT: $43,615.00 FUNDING SOURCE: (xX) Annual
PDF

July-7-2025-Work-Session-Minutes

[Page 1]
Page 1
PDF

July-8-2025-Regular-Session-Minutes

[Page 1]
Page 1
PDF

-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

Echols County Comprehensive Plan Update 2024-12-05

The first meeting was last week, but there will be plenty more, in the state-required five-year update process for the Echols County Comprehensive Plan.

[Begin Echols County Comprehensive Plan Update in Statenville, organized by SGRC]
Begin Echols County Comprehensive Plan Update in Statenville, organized by SGRC

That was a kickoff meeting.

Continue reading

Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Regular 2024-11-12

Ed Hightower was reappointed to the Planning Commission and. Calvin Graham was appointed to the seat previously held by Vicki Biles.

Two citizens spoke in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard. Burton Fletcher thanked various people for running for or winning office and other things. Janice Strickland spoke about flooding on Pin Oak Circle, which is in the City of Valdosta, so she was referred to the City Council.

In a thirteen and a half minute discussion, “County Planners JD Dillard and Jason Davenport went over the proposed changes to the ULDC which was “in the room” at the seat of the Lawyer Walter Elliott.”

[Collage @ LCC 12 November 2024]
Collage @ LCC 12 November 2024

Jason Davenport mentioned their goal was to get these changes approved by the County Manager and then to the “development community”. No mention of the public, other than the request by “Mrs. Quarterman” for a copy, which LAKE did get and publish. The county did not publish them before that Regular Session. The latest copy of the ULDC on the county’s website is still earlier than that, ULDC Unsigned Searchable Copy – July 9, 2024 (PDF).

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted affirmation that these changes required existing systems to have generators if they expand. Davenport agreed they do require that.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, County Manager Paige Dukes, and County Chairman Bill Slaughter discussed other existing systems. It doesn’t look to me like the ULDC changes require those to have generators.

Commissioner Orenstein wanted to hear more about subdivision policy goals. Davenport’s answer was they would be looked at on a case-by-case basis and “appropriately address” them. County Chairman Bill Slaughter expressed concern about dense subdivisions where the county could not bring utilities and for subdivisions with a single point of ingress and egress (cul-de-sacs). Davenport mentioned they chose not to have separate rules for septic vs. county utilities.

At the Public Hearing, Gretchen Quarterman spoke in opposition to the amendments, noting that the time available to actually review the final language was only a couple of hours before the meeting, especially since the Planning Commission no longer gets ULDC text amendments on its agenda. She also recommended “continuously” instead of “consistently” for private well generators. She liked the explicit list of grandfathered subdivisions. She mentioned Val Del Estates, which flooded recently, despite the county rezoning it a few years ago in what were claimed not to be wetlands.

The Commissioners did not discuss most of those topics, nor removing pine trees from being protected species. They did unanimously approve the ULDC text amendments.

They also unanimously approved everything else, including the Loch Winn rezoning, even though several people spoke in opposition. That one took twelve and a half minutes.

They discussed the purchase of VSU South Campus for almost five minutes.

The Chairman paused other items several times for recognition of various groups and individuals. An agenda item at the front would simplify all that. Similarly, a Commissioner Comments item at the end would be easier than ad hoc asking Commissioners for comments.

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

See also the Continue reading

Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12

Update 2024-11-16: Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Regular 2024-11-12.

There was so much discussion at the Work Session this morning that the meeting was 30 minutes long. They spent ten minutes on the ULDC Text Amendments; the ones that remove pine trees from being protected species. Even the UPS replacement got discussion.

Regarding the purchase of VSU South Campus, Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wondered how this could so easily move forward when the proposed animal shelter is taking so long. There was a little discussion.

They vote at 5:30 PM this evening.

[Collage @ LCC 12 November 2024]
Collage @ LCC 12 November 2024

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

See also the Continue reading

Agenda: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC 2024-11-12

Update 2024-11-12: ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12.

Because Monday is Veterans Day, both the Work and Regular Sessions of the Lowndes County Commission will be Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

[Collage @ LCC Agenda 2024-11-12]
Collage @ LCC Agenda 2024-11-12

Most of the almost $2.5 million being contemplated is for the purchase of the VS U South Campus.

Cost What
$2,156,000.00Purchase of VSU South Campus Property
$111,223.17LMIG Supplemental Local Road Assistance (LRA) 2024 Restriping Bids
$85,097.4.00Bid for 60 SCBA Cylinders for the Fire Department
$72,103.12UPS Replacement at the Valdosta and Clyattville Public Safety Radio System Tower Sites
$2,424,423.69Total

Here is the quite long agenda.

We don’t have the board packet, because I forgot to send in the open records request. However, the packet materials for the rezonings will probably be much like the ones from the preceding GLPC meeting, and the ULDC amendments should be somewhat similar to those the Lowndes County Commission previously tabled.

For the VSU South Campus, see Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: Remerton and Hahira cases @ GLPC 2022-04-25

Remerton at almost 28 minutes was far the longest item at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission Monday. Second was for Hahira, at 12 minutes. Everything else breezed through.

[Remerton and Hahira Cases @ GLPC 2022-04-25]
Remerton and Hahira Cases @ GLPC 2022-04-25

The sound is not so good because the county has still not fixed the audio in the room.

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

See also the Lake Park packet item, which Loretta Hylton of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission sent, saying she heard I was looking for it. It’s now on the LAKE website (PDF). Also, she said “The attorney pulled the Dasher item before submitting it to the Planning Commission.”

We still don’t have the Remerton item. The Valdosta and Hahira items were already on the LAKE website, previously sent by City Planner Matt Martin. We still don’t have the Remerton items. There were no Lowndes County packet items. Continue reading

Dasher packet item: 10 minutes from SGRC vs. too many days from Lowndes County @ GLPC 2022-01-31

Update 2022-02-01: LAKE videos: Recommend deny 8:3, Miller Bridge Road Subdivision @ GLPC 2022-01-31.

Minutes from SGRC vs. too many days from Lowndes County.

In the previous post I detailed how Lowndes County had referred me to the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) to get the board packet item for the Dasher item on the agenda for tonight’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting, Monday, January 31, 2022.

So I sent email to Loretta Hylton at the SGRC. She returned a PDF of the document within less than ten minutes. No need for an open records request.

[Land Use and Rezoning maps, DA-21-01, GLPC 2022-01-31]
Land Use and Rezoning maps, DA-21-01, GLPC 2022-01-31

That contrasts with more than three days and only after I quoted the open records law Lowndes County was probably violating.

So that Dasher packet item is on the LAKE website along with the others.

You may ask, why did it take me four days to put this packet item online?

Fair question, but I ask: why doesn’t Lowndes County put the entire GLPC board packet online where everyone can see it, like many counties larger and smaller in Georgia and Florida have been doing for years? Continue reading

Agenda: Finances, Officers, Reinbursements, Rate Adjustment @ DSSWA 2021-12-15

As you can see, the agenda for 5:30 PM this evening includes the usual Financial Report, Audit, Royalties, and Grinding Reimbursement, plus appointment of a Nominating Committee for Officers, and a Rate Adjustment, at the Deep South Solid Waste Authority meeting. Continue reading

Finances and Okefenokee Swamp @ SGRC 2021-12-09

Here are LAKE videos of (most of) yesterday’s Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) Council meeting yesterday in Pearson, Georgia.

For some of the items, I have included photographs of the first sheet of the relevant handout(s). For the rest of each handout, please contact SGRC.

Thanks to SGRC Council Chair Joyce Evans and Assistant Director Chris Strom for inviting me to come speak about the Okefenokee Swamp in my other hat as Suwannee Riverkeeper; see the WWALS blog post.

[Collage]
Collage: Audit; New member John Clayton (Nashville); DCA Small Cities Conference; Okefenokee Swamp Resolutions –Suwannee Riverkeeper; Jody Redding, GA Gov. Field Rep.

Here is the complete agenda. Continue reading

Videos: Comprehensive Plan, rezonings, tower, Hospital Authority, elections @ LCC 2021-11-09

All the main items breezed by unanimously, including the Comprehensive Plan and the Hospital Authority re-appointment of Ben Copeland, at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, November 9, 2021.

The only things taking longer than three minutes were the County Manager’s Report and Citizens Wishing to Be Heard about how the Board of Elections is appointed and funded.

[Comprehensive Plan, Communications Tower, Manager's Report, Electios]
Comprehensive Plan, Communications Tower, Manager’s Report, Electios

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, the agenda and Board packet, and, for the rezonings and the tower, the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

For the Comprehensive Plan, see also the LAKE videos of the preceding Comprehensive Plan Update Meeting 2 and the Character Area Maps for it, the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session before that, and the quite lengthy first Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing.