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Packet: R-21 to E-A rezoning, Jail door lock and skylight, Subdivision Infrastructure, LMIG Resurfacing Bids @ LCC 2026-08-10

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In the County Manager Report there is this item:
David Crawford – Partnership Health Center (Work Session).

Since Lowndes County does not post video of its Work Sessions, you’ll either need to be there Monday morning at 8:30 AM, or watch it later in the LAKE videos.

This contentious rezoning will be decided after a Public Hearing:
REZ-2026-15 Mardun Ventures, LLC, 6434 Lake Alapaha Blvd, ~10.7ac, R-21 to E-A, County Water & Septic.

The big dollar item I believe comes from state money, i.e., your state taxes,
or is it T-SPLOST, also your taxes?

Cost What
$1,808,850.75 2026 Local Maintenance and Improvements Grant (LMIG) Local Road Assistance (LRA) Resurfacing Bids
$64,302.26 Jail Skylight Replacement
$62,440.00 Jail Door Locking Control System Replacement
$1,935,593.01 Total


[Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-08-10]

Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-08-10

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is

on the LAKE website, with images of each page below.

For the rezoning, see also the

the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2026, 8:30 A.M.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC Regular 2026-05-12

Gretchen noted about these LAKE videos of the May 12, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, “Still having camera problems. No audio on two of the bits and agenda items 6e and 6f and the start of 7a did not get recorded at all.”

Yes, we know the county videos its own Regular Sessions:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PRqnqJwM8k

LAKE continues to video those meetings anyway, for a number of reasons
I don’t have time to go into here.

Also, the county does not post videos of its Work Sessions, nor of the
Planning Commission, nor of any of the other numerous Boards and Authorities, not to mention School Board meetings.
LAKE does post videos of those Work Sessions and Planning Commission meetings.
You can help.
Volunteer to video some meetings.
Or donate to LAKE to buy a better video camera.

Once again, Lowndes County plans to widen Old US 41 North the rest of the way up to the Hahira City Limits:

6.c. TIA – Local Delivery Application for Old US 41 North Widening Phase 4

Other than

the Clyattville case was withdrawn by applicant,
the Commissioners approved all the agenda items unanimously.


[Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026]

Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026

Two citizens spoke about datacenters:
Michael Noll and
George Fisher.
See also what IT Director Aaron Kostyu

said in the Works Session
about massive hikes in memory and server prices because the AI industry is sucking up all the inventory even before it is manufactured.

Two citizens spoke about animals:
Amie Burnam and
Tara Parker.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item for the May 12, 2026,
Lowndes County Commission Regular Session,
wWork ith a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the

LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session
and the
agenda and the board packet,
received in response to a LAKE open records request.

For the rezonings (except Clyattville), see the
LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

Here is the LAKE video playlist:


https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiFwlE_EHC-C06NPB_VIXiPc&si=tVArGKPA4yehJA9h

-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

Videos: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC Regular 2026-05-12

Gretchen noted about these LAKE videos of the May 12, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, “Still having camera problems. No audio on two of the bits and agenda items 6e and 6f and the start of 7a did not get recorded at all.”

Yes, we know the county videos its own Regular Sessions:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PRqnqJwM8k

LAKE continues to video those meetings anyway, for a number of reasons
I don’t have time to go into here.

Also, the county does not post videos of its Work Sessions, nor of the
Planning Commission, nor of any of the other numerous Boards and Authorities, not to mention School Board meetings.
LAKE does post videos of those Work Sessions and Planning Commission meetings.
You can help.
Volunteer to video some meetings.
Or donate to LAKE to buy a better video camera.

Once again, Lowndes County plans to widen Old US 41 North the rest of the way up to the Hahira City Limits:

6.c. TIA – Local Delivery Application for Old US 41 North Widening Phase 4

Other than

the Clyattville case was withdrawn by applicant,
the Commissioners approved all the agenda items unanimously.


[Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026]

Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026

Two citizens spoke about datacenters: Continue reading →

Videos: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC Work 2026-05-11

Update 2026-05-24:
Videos: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC Regular 2026-05-12.

In case you haven’t heard, Lowndes County plans to widen Old US 41 North the rest of the way up to the Hahira City Limits:

6.c. TIA Local Delivery Application for Old US 41 North Widening Phase 4.


[Collage @ LCC 11 May 2026]

Collage @ LCC 11 May 2026

The Clyattville case was withdrawn by applicant:

5.a. REZ-2026-04 Jay Ma Khodiyar 5507 Central St. (Clyattville), R-10 to C-G.
This is the same rezoning that was tabled for a month

back on March 10, 2026,
on a

motion by Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker.
I wonder how many times it will reapppear?

The Old Bemiss Road Blackwater case had quite a bit of discussion about roads, railroad, and access:

5.b. REZ-2026-11 Blackwater Development 4130 Old Bemiss Rd., (part 1).

Aaron Kostyu, Information Technology Services Director, spelled out a problem with so-called AI:

6.e. Replacement of Three Servers.
Commissioner Michael Smith wondered why there was only one quote for the three servers IT requested.

It’s because we can’t find hardware anywhere.
They have increased over the last two months by 800 to 1000 percent.

None of the drives are available; none of the memory is available, because the
AI industry is sucking it all up.
They have done something unprecedented, and the memory industry has allowed them
to purchase the next three lots before they are even created.
And so we don’t see this ending anytime soon.

We’ve had difficulty getting hardware that normally choose because the prices
have gotten out of control.
We’re jumping on the right now.

We know already that there’s a hundred and five day time limit on these quotes.
They’ve already gone up since we got these quotes,
but she agreed to extend it.

This is last month’s quote.
It’s already higher.

She’s agreed to hold this pricing, and hopefully we’ll get 105 days.
Tomorrow, if we purchase the next day, that will potentially get just in time to pay out of this year’s budget.
So it’s a real race to get it done.

Continue reading →

Packet: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC 2026-05-11

Update 2026-05-24:

Videos: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC Work 2026-05-11.

Yes, you can speak about datacenters, animals, water, or whatever else in
Citizens Wishing to Be Heard at the voting Regular Session, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

The Lowndes County Commissioners will notice if you show up for the Work Session,
8:30 AM, Monday, May 11, 2026.

The board packet doesn’t mention that
5.a. REZ-2026-04 Jay Ma Khodiyar, ~1ac, 5507 Central St. (Clyattville)
was tabled for a month

back on March 10, 2026,
on a

motion by Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker.


[Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-05-11 --LAKE]

Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-05-11 –LAKE

Here is
the agenda.

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

For the other two rezonings, see also Continue reading →

Videos: 3 rezonings, 1 Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Backup Generators for Pruitt Health Facilities @ LCC Regular 2026-02-10

Two weeks ago at their Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commissioners
discussed for nine minutes

5.c. REZ-2026-03 Villanueva Property, 6201 Union Rd, 6ac, E-A to C-G.,
mostly about fence colors.
They ended up approving the rezoning with the staff-recommended conditions,
except not the one about fence color.

They also talked for six and a half minutes about the agenda item they added,

6.b. Temporary Burn Ordinance.

Gretchen Quarterman noted, “There have been over 100 grass
fires so far this year. Lowndes County (and surrounding counties) is
in extreme drought. This temporary ordinance is made in conjunction
with Georgia Forestry to protect property, people, resources, etc.
This burn ban includes “recreational” fired and fires inside of a
burn barrel. It does not ban outdoor grilling of food. (or so I
thought I heard).”

She added, “The text of the
county FB post is as follows:”

“Due to prolonged dry weather and worsening drought conditions,
outdoor burning of yard debris is now restricted in the
unincorporated areas of Lowndes County. To reduce wildfire risks and
protect public safety, property, and natural resources, all open
burning of yard debris, including leaves, limbs, grass, and other
vegetative matter, is prohibited within the unincorporated area of
Lowndes County until drought conditions improve.”

They passed all the agenda items unanimously.


[Collage @ LCC 10 February 2026]

Collage @ LCC 10 February 2026

Three citizens wished to be heard:

Gretchen Quarterman about solid waste and recycling,

Mary Roe about Paving of Green Road,
and

Joel Deon about Data Center concerns.

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 Continue reading →

Videos: 3 rezonings, 1 Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Backup Generators for Pruitt Health Facilities @ LCC Work 2026-02-09

Update 2026-02-22:
Videos: 3 rezonings, 1 Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Backup Generators for Pruitt Health Facilities @ LCC Regular 2026-02-10.

Two weeks ago at their Work Session, the Lowndes County Commissioners
talked much about the

7.b. Consideration of Bids for Installation of Emergency Backup Generators
for Pruitt Healthcare.
The county is merely passing through that $1,470,216.00.
Chairman Bill Slaughter says the opportunity was offered to all nursing homes
in Lowndes County, but only Pruitt Healthcare took it up.

They also talked about fences for

5.c. REZ-2026-03 Villanueva Property, 6201 Union Rd, 6ac, E-A to C-G.

And they said a few words about the
$477,896.15 to Reames & Son Construction from TSPLOST for

7.a. PI #0016273, Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Orr Road Bids.


[Collage @ LCC 9 February 2026]

Collage @ LCC 9 February 2026

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 Continue reading →

Packet: 3 rezonings, 1 Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Backup Generators for Pruitt Health Facilities @ LCC 2026-02-09

Update 2026-02-21:
Videos: 3 rezonings, 1 Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Backup Generators for Pruitt Health Facilities @ LCC Work 2026-02-09.

The big-budget item is $477,896.15 to Reames & Son Construction from TSPLOST for
7.a. PI #0016273, Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Orr Road Bids.

The $1,470,216.00 for
7.b. Emergency Backup Generators at Pruitt Health Facilities is to be completely reimbursed by $1,088,903.00 from HMGP Funding, $217,781.00 from GEMA Funding, and $233,126.00 from Pruitt Health.

In July 2019, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners approved the
submittal of a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) application on
behalf of Pruitt Health Corporation to fund the installation of
emergency backup generators at five skilled nursing facilities
located within Lowndes County. These facilities provide critical
care to vulnerable populations, making continuity of power during
emergencies a key resiliency priority.

In January 2025, Lowndes County was notified that the HMGP
application had been awarded. As part of the grant structure,
Lowndes County will administer the project and pay the selected
contractor, with eligible costs reimbursed through a combination of
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Georgia Emergency
Management Agency (GEMA) funding. Any costs not reimbursed through
FEMA or GEMA will be the responsibility of Pruitt Health. As a
result, Lowndes County will receive 100 percent reimbursement for
the project through the combined participation of FEMA, GEMA, and
Pruitt Health, with no net financial impact to the County.


[Packet: 3 rezonings, Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Pruitt Health Backup Generators, @ LCC 2026-02-09]

Packet: 3 rezonings, Utility Easement Termination, Orr Road Bids, Pruitt Health Backup Generators, @ LCC 2026-02-09

Here is the
agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request,
is

on the LAKE website.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Regular 2025-04-22

It is mysterious why

7.b. Val Del Rd and N. Valdosta Rd. Intersection improvement was only

added in this Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.
They’ve been leading up to it for a long time.
Apparently the two bids were only opened the previous day;
I thought bid openings were scheduled.


[Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025]

Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025

In this meeting, they talked about that intersection for almost seven minutes,
which is very long for this body.
The intersection will completely close starting May 27,
probably for most of the summer.
It will end up with two lanes going north, and three lanes going south: one left only, one left or straight, one right only.

The old US 41 North facebook group has renamed itself to follow this development

https://www.facebook.com/LowndesCoHwy41WideningRoadProjectUpdates

Second longest was Continue reading →

Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Work 2025-04-21

Update 2025-04-29:
Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Regular 2025-04-22.

It took 14 minutes, the Monday morning Work Session.
Much of that the Lowndes County Commission spent on the LMIG road resurfacing item
and on the two court grant items.

They voted this evening at 5:30 PM: LAKE videos to come.


[Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025]

Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025

At the Work Session, Lowndes County Commissioner Michael Smith volunteered for one of the two posts
available on

5.a. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD),
with Juliana Powell having already applied for one of them.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know whether there were any problems
with DEI on the

6.a. Acceptance of the VAWA Continuation Grant Award for 2025.
Nobody seemed to know, or to address the question.

Commissioner Marshall asked a similar question about

6.b. FY2026 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Application.
County Manager Paige Dukes said basically that with things changing daily
in the federal goverment, nobody knows.
Commissioner Michael Smith had a question about service areas.

There was some chit-chat about

6.c. Emergency Purchase – Naylor Tower Top Amp Replacement.

There was some discussion of districts, specific roads, and state funding,
after
Commissioner Wisenbaker asked to have the list of roads being repaved read out for

7.a. 2025 LMIG Resurfacing Bids (Project #: ENG 2025-01).

Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading →