Tag Archives: Transportation

FFA, Appointments, Liquor, Rezonings, Roads, Forestry, DUI, Holidays, Insurance, Calendar, Trucks @ LCC 2020-12-07

Update 2020-12-15: Board packet is on the LAKE website.

A million and a half dollars, mostly for insurance, on the agenda for the final Lowndes County Commission session of 2020, and that’s not counting the many-years-long ramifications of rezoning for new subdivisions and acquiring right of way for a new road.

Rezonings: REZ-2020-17 3833 Inner Perimeter Road; REZ-2020-19 3435 Bemiss Knights Academy; REZ-2020-20 6712 Clyattstone Road

Cost	What
$1,240,297.00	2021 Stop Loss Insurance Coverage Renewal Through Symetra Life Ins. Company
$174,759.00	2021 ACCG Workers’ Compensation Insurance Renewal
$60,862.00	Bid for 2 – Three Quarter Ton Trucks for the Engineering Department
$27,367.00	Bid for a Sport Utility Vehicle for the 911 Center
$920.50	Georgia Forestry Commission Services [LAS prescribed burns] Agreement
$381.00	Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Accountability Court Lowndes County DUI Court- State Court
$1,504,586.50	Total

Lowndes County Development Authority Terms are up for Brooks Akins, Gary Cannon, and Jerome Tucker. Cannon and Tucker want reappointment, and the Commission almost always reappoints.

Resolution Rejection Quitclaim Deed; Affidavit Regarding Title- Branch Point. The County has laid out the right-of-way for a county road known as Fender Road between Williams School… Trading a parcel to William Q. Touchton, Jr. for another parcel for the road.

REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne 6712 Clyattstone Road (0071 008) R-1 to R-10, Water & Sewer, ~40.3 acres . For 105+ house lots. In 2006, for a more complicated plan on the same site, GLPC recommended denial 7:0, County Commission denied 2:0. What did GLPC vote this time? And how about factoring in all the costs of paving Clyattstone Road over many previous Commission meetings? Continue reading →

Public Facilities Authority, Water tank, dump trucks, VOCA, VAWA, road abandonment @ LCC 2020-10-26

This morning the Lowndes County Commission will discuss abandoning a driveway, er road, a couple of grants for legal purposes, relining a drinking water tank for a fancy subdivision, dump trucks for Public Works, and reappointing Michael Walker, Crawford Powell, and Scott Purvis to the Public Facilities Authority, plus a vacant seat. They will vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

What does PFA do?

Created via Resolution 05-1130, the general purpose of the authority is declared to be that of providing through the acquisition, construction, installation, renovation, expansion, modification or rehabilitation, any buildings, structure, facilities, improvements, furnishings, fixtures, machinery, equipment and services for the citizens in the county. Members are appointed to three year terms and meet as needed. For more information, contact the Office of the County Clerk, 229-671-2400, or email the County Clerk.

Map: Road to be Abandoned

Cost	What
$464,196.00	Bid for Four 10-Wheel Dump Trucks for the Public Works Department
$148,000.00	Stone Creek Elevated Tank Coating
$17,326.00	Solicitor-General’s Office 2021 VAWA Competitive Application
$6,000.00	Solicitor-General’s VOCA Continuation Grant
$635,522.00	Total

How the Abandonment of Artherman Lane can be considered not to affect the budget is mysterious, since Public Works will no longer need to spend to maintain that driveway.

On the Solicitor-General's VOCA Continuation Grant, VOCA is the Victims of Crime Act. The $6,000 cost is health insurance premiums for the two Victim Advocates ($3,000 each).

On the Solicitor-General's Office 2021 VAWA Competitive Application, VAWA is the Violence Against Women Act. The $17,326 is for Cash Match, about $2,000 lower than last time. Lowndes County funnels grant money for five counties, by delegating the District Attorney (DA) to receive and distribute the funds.

Here is the agenda. The board packet is on the LAKE website due to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading →

Videos: budget and wood pellet plant at Adel City Council 2020-09-21

The wood pellet plant annexation had one vote against, and two against the rezoning.

Reporters, Council, Opposition, Agenda

The budget, millage, and alcohol license passed unanimously.

There was little discussion and no public input. There was a Public Hearing two weeks before.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a very few notes, and a few more pictures. Continue reading →

Lift Station Pump, Juvenile Justice Grant, Fees for Web and Telephone Payments, 3 rezonings, 1 withdrawn, 1 lighting, beer @ LCC 2020-10-12

Here is a map of “North Central Lowndes County” which is the area the county wants most to develop with subdivisions. It’s in the board packet materials for Addition to Basic Decorative Street Lighting District – Coventry Villas Subdivision, for last week’s Lowndes County Commission meeting.

Exhibit B: Basic Decorative; North Central Lowndes County 2; Revised 9/2020
PDF

This the first table of tax dollar amounts we’ve had add up to a positive total.

Cost	What
($1,107,500.64)	2021 LMIG Resurfacing Grant Application
($99,938.00)	2020 Addressing Victimization within the Juvenile Justice System Grant Application
$42,067.69	Nelson Hill Lift Station Pump Upgrade
$5.00	Approval of Increase in Convenience Fees for Web and Telephone Payments
($1,165,370.95)	Total

The real total should be both less than that (the LMIG grant has a 10% match) and more (the $5.00 is times each telephone or online payment).

Here’s a list of what they plan to do with the 2021 LMIG Resurfacing Grant Application: Continue reading →

Appoint Tax Assessors, 3 water, 3 road, 1 pandemic, 1 software @ LCC 2020-09-21

Applying this morning for Board of Tax Assessors are Mr. Gene Felts and Mrs. Gretchen Quarterman. The Lowndes County Commission will vote tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5:30 PM. That and almost $4 million in water, road, software, and fire items.

Cost	What
$1,681,770.84	Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving of Clyattstone Road and Simpson Lane.
$1,417,333.98	Clyattstone Water Main Extension
$489,310.00	Motorola SUAII (Evergreen)
$128,075.58	Firefighter Personnel Request
$41,217.6.00	Foxborough Lift Station Pump
$34,169.28	Drainage Improvements to Brinson Lane and Oak Hill Drive
$22,500.00	FY2021 Joint Funding Agreement with USGS
$19,800.00	Land Application System (LAS) Expansion Agreement
$3,834,177.28	Total

Apparently paving does not solve all problems, because one of the four water items is Drainage Improvements to Brinson Lane and Oak Hill Drive to “eliminate flooding issues as a result of the paving of Oak Hill Drive.”. The other three water items are FY2021 Joint Funding Agreement with USGS for the Folsom Bridge (GA 122 Little River & Skipper Bridge (Withlacoochee River) USGS gauges, Foxborough Lift Station Pump, and Land Application System (LAS) Expansion Agreement.

In addition to Brinson Lane, there are two more road items: Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving of Clyattstone Road and Simpson Lane (how much have they spent on that project combined so far?) and Acceptance of Infrastructure for Val Del Villas. The latter is listed as no cost, despite the Brinson Lane episode.

Survey Plat

Also on the agenda: Grant Submission Request – COVID-19 Response Grant Application, partly to “Recruit and hire a sufficient number of poll workers and inspectors to ensure polling places are properly staffed,” , a Firefighter Personnel Request, and Motorola SUAll (Evergreen) software.

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

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Budget and wood pellet farm –Adel City Council 2020-09-08

Adel staff answered extensive questions about the budget, in the Adel City Council meeting, Tuesday, August 8, 2020. The proposed wood pellet plant for export to Europe was criticised by several local citizens, and defended by members of local authorities and commissions, as well as its CEO, speaking from Houston, Texas, on a laptop screen.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item and each speaker, with a few notes. See also Continue reading →

Education, Extension, Prisoners, Fire, Water, Sewer, Nelson Hill, Wages, Taxes, Clerk @ LCC 2020-08-24

A busy agenda for 8:30 AM Monday morning, with voting 5:30 PM Tuesday, includes especially taxes, and alcohol, sewer, twice, education, extension agents, Prison Work Details, and Architectural Services for Lowndes County Fire Station #5 – Bemiss Road Fire Station Alterations and Additions.

Aerial Map for Uncle Carlo’s Italian Ristorante, 1024 Lakes Blvd., Lake Park, GA.

Plus appointment of a new County Clerk, Belinda Lovern, and Deputy Clerk, Sabrina Denson. No posting of the positions is mentioned.

Cost	What
$147,954.00	Annual Contract Renewal, Georgia Department of Corrections – Prison Work Details
$141,841.00	Contract for Extension Agents and Staff
$110,000.00	Peterson Road Lift Station Emergency Repair
$44,400.00	Architectural Services for Lowndes County Fire Station #5 – Bemiss Road Fire Station Alterations and Additions
$41,840.00	Nelson Hill Discharge Manhole
$5,699.35	Tax Commissioners’ Back Wage Settlement with Department of Labor
$-32,000.00	USDA Building Lease Amendment No. 4
$459,734.35	Total

The Lowndes County Commission is Repealing Approvals Authorizing the Tax Commissioner to Waive Penalties and Interest, apparently because of a Tax Commissioners' Back Wage Settlement with Department of Labor.

After last year’s vote of the people to ask the Georgia legislature to make the Tax Assessors appointed, not elected, the legislature did that. Now the County Commission is setting the number of Assessors at three, with initial staggered terms of 3, 4, and 5 years, and after that 3 years for each.

This is after two weeks ago the Lowndes County Commission rolled back the tax millage rate slightly.

Here is the agenda. The entire board packet, together with the Minutes of the meetings of two weeks ago (Work Session, Millage Hearing, and Regular Session) is on LAKE website.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Maybe revisit lowering millage rate @ LCC 2020-08-10

There was pushback on lowering the millage rate at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning. They will decide this evening at 5:30 PM at the Regular Session.

The Commissioners, like some of the public, also wanted to know when there will be a new County Clerk. Answer, from the former County Clerk, Paige Dukes, who is now the County Manager: not yet; maybe next meeting (two weeks from now).

The $0.9 million low bid from Reames for road paving and a box culvert got no discussion from Commissioners.

The Scruggs Company was offered a special exception to the Comprehensive Plan; one that actually makes sense.

Yes, the Copeland property backs up to PCA.

The Verizon tower got no questions from Commissioners.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet, and the millage rate hearing at 5PM today (Tuesday).

Packet: $0.9 million paving project, reduction of millage rate, 3 small rezonings @ LCC 2020-08-10

For the Monday morning Work session and Tuesday evening voting Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission has only one item that has “BUDGET IMPACT” in its agenda sheet, but it’s a doozy:

Cost	What
$899,744.40	Ridgecrest, Woodland and Glenview Paving & Drainage Project
$899,744.4	Total

The agenda sheet says:

Lowndes County solicited bids for Ridgecrest, Woodland and Glenview Grading, Drainage, Base and Paving. The project will consist of Grading, Drainage, Base and Paving of Ridgecrest and Woodland and the installation of a box culvert under Glenview Drive. Vendors present for the pre-bid meeting held on July 21, 2020, were James Warren & Associates, Southland Contractors, Reames & Son Construction, Rountree Construction, and The Scruggs Company. Three bids were received on August 4, 2020.

Here are the bids:

Bids, NC-TIA 2019-04: Ridgecrest Street and Woodland Drive

Where is that? South of the west end of W Savanna Ave, near I-75 Exit 16.

Google map: Ridgecrest Street & Woodland Drive

Ah, yes, I got stuck in traffic there not so long ago, trying to get around a stopped train.

We know this much because LAKE obtained a copy of the board packet through an open records request; it’s on the LAKE website.

I suppose if we rummage around enough we’ll find details of NC-TIA 2019-04 somewhere on the county’s website.

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Packet: Moody AFB, Library board, renaming and dedicating roads, two subdivisions, liability insurance @ LCC 2020-07-27

Will it take fifteen minutes, or twenty minutes, to approve almost a million dollars, in a packed agenda for Monday and Tuesday at the Lowndes County Commission? It’s mostly Property & Liability insurance, followed by a consulting contract for a go-between with Moody AFB, plus UPSes for county radio sites.

Cost	What
$818,021.00	ACCG IRMA Property & Liability Program Renewal
$96,000.00	Agreement with Cornerstone
$24,257.88	Vertiv Service Contract for the Liebert UPS at the 911 Center & the 4 Tower Sites
$0; past gate name it Harper’s Lane	Renaming a Portion of Sara Road
$0	Acceptance of Infrastructure for Brayden Place Subdivision
$938,278.88	Total

They’ll also appoint Thomas Lovett to the South Georgia Regional Library Board, rename a road, and accept some subdivision roads.

Aerial Map: Sara Road Renaming

Received Friday 5:14 PM in response to a LAKE open records request, the board packet is on the LAKE website.

Here is the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange