Tag Archives: Transportation Investment Act

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

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They approved everything unanimously, including
reappointing Suzan Garnett to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) Board.
Herb Reinhard and Broc McDowell were nominated to another seat, and the latter apointed.

Library Board candidates were Sarah Fitzgereald, Kimberly Cliett and Dave DiSalvo.
Ms. Cliett was the only one nominated, and she was appointed “by acclamation.”

Only one person spoke in the Public Hearing about the Comprehensive Plan.


[Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments: VLPRA & Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening, @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28]

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

Here are LAKE videos of the July 28, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work 2026-07-27

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

Update 2026-07-28:
Links to three documents cited in the draft Comprehensive Plan.

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

The draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update has appeared on the county’s own website, lowndescounty.com.
See below for how that happened.

Below are LAKE videos of the Monday morning Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, July 27, 2026, with some notes by John S. Quarterman.
They vote at 5:30 PM this evening, Tuesday, in their Regular Session.

Don’t forget the
second page of the agenda says,
“There will be an information sharing session to address data center ordinance considerations following the adjournment of the regular meeting.”http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2026/07/datacenter-meeting-after-lowndes-county-commission-regular-session-2026-07-28.html”>separate post.
More on that in a
[Comprehensive Plan Update, Appts to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work Session 2026-07-27]

Comprehensive Plan Update, Appts to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work Session 2026-07-27

Monday morning I was experimenting with an external microphone, which does seem to work better,
although with quite a bit of hiss.

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

Comprehensive Plan

After the meeting, I mentioned to County Planner JD Dillard and County Attorney
G. Walter Elliott that the draft Comprehensive Plan Update is not on the county website, so how can citizens know what to say in the

Public Hearing 6.a. 2026 Comprehensive Plan Transmittal? Continue reading →

Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Regular 2026-05-26

The Lowndes County Commission took 23 minutes for its Regular Session, Tuesday evening, May 26, 2026.

Eleven minutes of that was Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.
A minute and a half was Order, Invocation, Pledge, and Leadership Lowndes.
And six and a half minutes for the County Manager Report.

So four minutes for the voting items, which all passed unanimously.

The two Citizens Wishing to Be Heard both spoke against datacenters:
Jimmy LeFiles about chemical safety
and

George Fisher about aquifer recharge.

The County Manager reported among other things that the governor has lifted the state burn ban, which affects non-residential areas of Lowndes County.
The county’s own burn ban, which affects residential areas, is still on,
but may be lifted next week.


[Collage @ LCC 26 May 2025]

Collage @ LCC 26 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.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Work 2026-05-26

Update 2026-05-27:
Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Regular 2025-05-26.

The Work Session took five minutes Tuesday morning, for the
Lowndes County Commission, May 26, 2026.

There was some discussion about contingencies on the Animal Shelter build.

And they went into an executive session to discuss real estate.


[Collage @ LCC Work Session 26 May 2025]

Collage @ LCC Work Session 26 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.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC 2026-05-26

Update 2026-05-27:
Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Work 2025-05-26.

Both Work and Regular Sessions of the Lowndes County Commission
will be on Tuesday, May 26, 2026,
due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.

It’s a light agenda, with only two items involving money:
one for paving Coleman Road, and the other for building the Animal Shelter.


[Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-05-26]

Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-05-26

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, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2026, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 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 Subdivision, Paving, Alcohol, Housing Loan, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2026-03-10

The Lowndes County Commissioners voted to table

5.a. REZ-2026-04 Jay Ma Khodiyar, 5507 Central St. Clyattville, R-10 To C-G
until their first meeting in May.

They unanimously approved the other two rezonings, and all the other agenda items, at the Regular Session of Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

However, they spent almost 20 minutes on

5.c. REZ-2026-06 Val Del Mobile Home Park, 3910 Val Way, R-A – P-D To P-D.
One speaker got tired of them being called trailers and said they called them manufactured homes.


[Collage @ LCC 10 March 2026]

Collage @ LCC 10 March 2026

There were five Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, all against datacenters.
One thought datacenters should go out in the woods in the country.
I beg to differ.

They went into an executive session, but it’s not clear they said what for.

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 →