Tag Archives: Transportation

Agenda: Golf carts, mental health, wetland credits, regional transit, Lift Station and Fire Station Access Roads, 2 TIA Road Bids @ LCC 2023-09-25

Update 2023-09-26: Videos: Golf carts, mental health, wetland credits, regional transit, Lift Station and Fire Station Access Roads, 2 TIA Road Bids @ LCC Work 2023-09-25.

This week the Lowndes County Commission proposes to authorize spending $4.5 million on road projects, plus golf carts for the Quiet Pine Golf Course at Moody AFB that the county now operates.

Collage @ LCC Agenda 2023-09-25

The biggest project at almost four million dollars is TIA 2023-05 Briggston Road Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving Bids, leading from Madison Highway to Old Clyattville Road, where you will find Wild Adventures.

Cost	What
$3,892,229.54	TIA 2023-05 Briggston Road Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving Bids
$240,119.00	Fire Rescue Station 10 Pavement Resurfacing Bids
$222,377.49	Grove Point Lift Station Access Road
$194,166.66	NC-TIA 2023-01 Rocky Hill Church Road Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving Bids
$85,440.00	Purchase of Wetland Credits for Shiloh Road Bridge Project
$50,160.00	Quiet Pines Golf Course Ezgo Golf Cart Lease Agreement
$4,684,492.69	Total

Perhaps a longer search would find information on the county website about the Purchase of Wetland Credits for Shiloh Road Bridge Project. At least we can say what it is a bridge (or box culvert) over: Big Creek, which runs into Franks Creek, which ends up in the Little River.

Shiloh Road Bridge in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

However, the Lowndes County Finance Department has a Bids web page that leads to specifics on each bid, including for the Grove Point Lift Station, Briggston Road, Rocky Hill Church Road, and Fire Rescue Station 10 projects. Three of them include a location map and engineering drawings. The exception is for Fire Station 10, but its Bid Documents do reveal the location of that fire station: 2981 US Hwy 84 East, Valdosta, Georgia.

Copies of all these documents and images of their pages are on the LAKE website.

We do not have a copy of the board packet, because I forgot to send the open records request.

Although it is still mysterious why the board packet is not on the county’s webiste where they have an option “packet” that only produces the agenda and an agenda sheet for each item.

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied; Mt. Zion Church Road rezoning unanimously approved @ LCC Regular 2023-09-12

Update 2023-09-16: by WWALS, Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied @ LCC 2023-09-12.

After five local residents spoke against and nobody for, the Lowndes County Commission unanimously denied the inappropriate 2.5-acre rezoning REZ-2023-04 on Quarterman Road.

Collage @ LCC 12 September 2023

Then after Roy Copeland spoke for the R-21 rezoning REZ-2023-10 on Mt. Zion Church Road and nobody spoke against, the Commissioners unanimously approved that one.

They unanimously approved almost everything else, including appointing Dr. Anthony Johnson to the Lowndes County Board of Health. The Family Medicine Dr. Johnson; not the eye doctor, although we only know that because LAKE filed an open records request for the board packet and published the results.

The exception was 7.b. Hamilton Green Acceptance of Water – Sewer Infrastructure. Continue reading →

Lowndes County Commission denies Quarterman Road rezoning –VDT 2023-09-13

Update 2023-09-16: Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied; Mt. Zion Church Road rezoning unanimously approved @ LCC Regular 2023-09-12.

The VDT got the most important point right: the Lowndes County Commission unanimously denied the proposed rezoning REZ-2023-04 for 2.5-acre lots, smaller than the 5-acre minimum in on E-A Quarterman Road. And they spelled Tom Larson’s name right.

Thanks to all who helped get this result: everybody who signed the petition, those who circulated the petition, those who spoke in the Planning Commission and County Commission meetings, 7 of 8 of the Planning Commissioners who recommended denial, and the Lowndes County Commissioners for unanimously denying this inappropriate rezoning.

SGRC map of petition signers against REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road and VDT pictures of Lowndes County Commission meeting building

Kasmira Smith, Valdosta Daily Times, September 13, 2023, Lowndes commissioners deny highly opposed rezoning proposal Continue reading →

The application for the Quarterman Road rezoning, and more petition signatures against it @ LCC 2023-09-12

Update 2023-09-13: Lowndes County Commission denies Quarterman Road rezoning –VDT 2023-09-13.

We had to ask three times, but we finally got the application for the rezoning on Quarterman Road, REZ-2023-04.

Here is that application, and also three more signatures on the petition against the rezoning, plus an updated table of signers and addresses about a hundred of them.

We ask the Lowndes County Commissioners to do the same thing they did about the Miller Bridge rezoning and about the Dollar General resoning on Skipper Bridge: deny this one as well, because it, like them, is in an Agricultre-Forestry-Conservation Character Area, and the vast majority of nearby landowners and residents do not want it.

Collage, more packet materials for REZ-2023-04 @ LCC 2023-09-12

The application doesn’t tell us much we did not already know, other than that the property owner’s agent is Rodney Tenery, Address: 2621 U.S. Highway 84 East, Valdosta, GA. Mapquest says that is an address of Harris Surveying & Engineering. Continue reading →

Videos: Seven minutes on REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road @ LCC Work

Update 2023-09-12 The application for the Quarterman Road rezoning, and more petition signatures against it @ LCC 2023-09-12.

The proposed 2.5-acre rezoning on Quarterman Road is inappropriate, as the Planning Commission indicated by their 7:1 vote to recommend denial. The Lowndes County Commission spent almost seven minute on this item.

Tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, they should deny this rezoning.

Meanwhile, county staff still can not find any record of the 1980s rezoning for the nearby half-acre-lot subdivision.

Collage @ LCC 11 September 2023

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

Packet: Board of Health appointment, two rezonings, 4 water, mosquitoes @ LCC 2023-09-11

Update 2023-09-11: Videos: Seven minutes on REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road @ LCC Work 2023-09-11.

In a busy agenda, the Lowndes County Commission will discuss Monday morning at 8:30 AM and vote on Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM appointing Dr. Anthony Johnson to the Board of Health, four water and sewer items, mosquitoes, and two rezonings.

Collage, LCC Packet 2023-09-11

In their preceding meeting, the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) by a 7:1 vote recommended denial for REZ-2023-04 Chase, 6119 Quarterman Rd, ~18 acres, E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, and GLPC unanimously recommended approval for REZ-2023-10 Copeland, 3728 Mt. Zion Church Rd., ~4ac, E-A to R-21.

Cost	What
$287,786.39	LAS Expansion Clearing & Grubbing
$105,000.00	Meter Backflow Device Purchase
$68,889.40	Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump
$55,194.30	Annual Contract Renewal with VSU for Mosquito Identification and Testing
$516,870.09	Total

Of the half a million dollars in expenditures the Commission they will probably approve Tuesday, more than half is for expansion of the Land Application Site (LAS). Two of the others are also water or sewer projects. They do not list a cost for the other water and sewer project: Hamilton Green Acceptance of Water & Sewer Infrastructure.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials, received by LAKE in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website. Several requested items are missing. We will ask again.

For the preceding GLPC meeting, see also Continue reading →

Main Valdosta Post Office power problem

The main Post Office on Inner Perimeter in Valdosta is mostly closed. You can pick up envelopes from the shelves, get postage from a kiosk, and mail things through slots. That’s about it.

USPS sign, tree contractor

More lingering results of Hurricane Idalia.

The tree contractor is an example of why. Many trees are still down on power and telephone lines.

-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: Boat Ramps, Okefenokee Swamp, LMIG, Taxes @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07

Update 2023-09-12: Videos: Grant match for Dark Sky and resolution against mine too near Okefenokee Swamp @ Clinch County Commission 2023-09-11

Update 2023-08-10: Chainsaw cleanup, Outings, Boat Ramps, Okefenokee Swamp –Suwannee Riverkeeper @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07.

It was a brief agenda at the Clinch County Commission, with roads and taxes, plus boat ramps and a proposed resolution against the strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp.

Collage @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07

Below are pictures, LAKE videos of each agenda item, and links to documents, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked for clarifications on chickens being excluded from conservation in 6.a. TXT-2023-01 ULDC Text Amendments, County Manager Bill Slaughter said there were two kinds of conservation: land use and taxes, and the exclusion only applied to one of them; not clear which one.

Collage @ LCC 11 July 2023

Gretchen Quarterman spoke against the amendments being voted on without more time for the general public to review and comment, as she did at the preceding Planning Commission meeting. She pointed out she still could not find the amendments on the county’s website, there had been only one county announcement of these changes, and no listing of the changes. Nobody spoke for. The Chairman asked for rebuttal, but there was none.

Commissioners had no discussion, and voted unanimously to approve the ULDC text amendments.

They unanimously approved everything else, except Continue reading →

Videos: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Work 2023-07-10

Update 2023-10-16: Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11.

This time the ULDC text amendments are on the agenda as a Public Hearing.

Collage @ LCC 10 July 2023

However, Lowndes County still has not put the proposed amendments on its website. You can see them in the board packet on the LAKE website (they are different from the draft that was in the Planning Commission packet).

But that’s only because LAKE sent an open records request for that packet and posted it. Why should the general public have to do that, when the county already showed draft amendments to the Homebuilders Association more than a month ago? We know this because the the County Manager said so in the June 12th County Commission meeting: “In addition to the Planning Commission, the amendments have also been shared with the Homebuilders Association, as our largest group of stakeholders, we’d like for them to be able to give us some feedback.” Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange