Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item of the Monday, July 26, 2021, Regular Session of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), followed by a LAKE video playlist. The big item was 5. VA-2021-16 (pt 1) Uvalde Land Co. Deannex 310 acres from the City of Valdosta.
See also the agenda and Deannexation east of Withlacoochee River linked to subdivision west @ GLPC 2021-07-26. LAKE videos of the following Lowndes County Commission and Valdosta City Council meetings will also be up soon.
The longest item at fourteen and a half minutes was yet more public money to be spent on water for the private Lake Alapaha subdivision next to the Alapaha River, in the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday, Monday morning, August 9, 2021. They vote 5:30 PM this evening, Tuesday evening, August 10. See also The never-ending Lake Alapaha Water Treatment Plant saga @ LCC 2021-08-10.
The three rezonings also got 4, 5, and 7 minutes.
It’s an even safer bet they will appoint Wild Adventures General Manager Jonathan Vigue to the Tourism Authority.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.
See also
the agenda and
the preceding Planning Commission meeting.
The board packet, received after a LAKE open records request,
is on the LAKE website:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-08-09–lcc-packet
Update 2021-08-09: The never-ending Lake Alapaha Water Treatment Plant saga @ LCC 2021-08-10.
The biggest ticket item is yet more public money to be spent on water for the private Lake Alapaha subdivision next to the Alapaha River, in the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday morning, August 9, 2021, and voting Tuesday evening, August 10.
On the Tourism Authority appointment, Molly Deese succeeded the previous General Manager of Wild Adventures, so it’s a safe bet that the current GM, Jonathan Vigue, will succeed her on that Authority. But he’s got some competition with Rita Hightower of the Garden Center and The Crescent.
As usual, none of the three rezonings are counted as affecting the county budget, although all three will have long-term effects, two negative because of school buses and Fire and Sheriff Department calls, and one maybe positive because it’s for solar panels: REZ-2021-12 US 84/I-75 Industrial Park ~542 ac., County Utilities, I-S, M-1, M-2 and P-D (Amended).
Note the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determination that the remaining part of Val Del Villas off Val Del Road is not jurisdictional wetlands, so more houses can be built. Northside Property Development has the same registered agent as Uvalde Land Company that bought the Cherry Creek Mitigation Bank next to the Withlacoochee River and wants to deannex the upland half of it from Valdosta. The uplands in that Bank tract are not jurisdictional wetlands, either.
The other subdivision also involves wetlands, two creeks leading to Bay Branch and the Withlacoochee River, plus at least one retention pond: REZ-2021-09 Building Valdosta Subdivision (0070 018), R-A to R-21, Community Well & Septic, ~64.84 acres.
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| $173,000.00 | Alapaha Plantation Water Treatment Pilot Study |
| $102,812.00 | Purchase of Body Cameras and Dash Cameras for Various Departments |
| $24,778.59 | Vertiv Service Contract for the Liebert UPS at the 911 Center & the 4 Tower Sites |
| $300,590.59 | Total |
The $300 thousand total is a bit apples and oranges, since the cameras are for five years and the UPS is annual.
Here is the agenda.
The board packet, received after a LAKE open records request,
is on the LAKE website:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-08-09–lcc-packet
See also the preceding Planning Commission meeting.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Continue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Update 2022-09-12: O’Neal rezoning back after a year: Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12.
Two weeks ago at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session, by far the longest item at almost seven minutes was 6.b. REZ-2021-09 Building Valdosta Subdivision (0070 018), R-A to R-21. It fronts on Val Del Road, but has no county water and sewer. Commissioner Scottie Orenstein wanted to know about the two creeks that run through it: see the notes below on the item.
6.d. REZ-2021-11 The Landings (PD Amendment), Val Del Road (0071 056) got two and a half minutes.
The County Manager Reports was almost as long.
The whole meeting still only took 23 minutes.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda, the board packet on the LAKE website due to a LAKE open records request, and the Minutes.
What does a big parcel of flood plain property on the east (left) bank of the Withlacoochee River have to do with a subdivision to the west, both on the agenda for this Monday’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission?
Well, both seem to have been requested by the same person, who is also somehow involved with the owner of the land in between.
What do the various LLCs and people involved want to do with hundreds of acres of floodplain next to the Withlacoochee River? They probably can’t build subdivisions on it, but they could log it, dig sand mines, put a shooting range there, or many other possibilities that might not be good for the river or nearby homeowners.
I have filed an open records request with Lowndes County so we can find out more.
Let’s start with the Valdosta deannexation case:
City of Valdosta Cases:
- VA-2021-16 Uvalde Land Co. (Cherry Creek — Withlacoochee River) Deannex 310 acres from the City of Valdosta
A Valdosta deannexation and a Lowndes County rezoning case seem linked, although that is not obvious by the agenda for Monday’s Greater Lowndes County Planning Commission. See the next blog post for how.
Here is the agenda.
Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~Monday, July 19, 2021 5:30 P.M. Work Session
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Monday, July 26, 2021 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
A third of a million dollars will be decided Tuesday by the Lowndes County Commission, after review at its Monday morning Work Session.
However, the items that will cause a chronic drain on county resources, including the school district, are not shown as having any “BUDGET IMPACT”: the four rezonings, especially the two 60+ acre subdivisions.
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| $153,738.00 | Bid for a Fuel Truck for the Public Works Department |
| $165,427.00 | Acceptance of FY22 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant |
| $319,165.00 | Total |
![[Bethany Drive, Val Del Road, Wild Adventures]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-07-11--lcc-packet/many.jpg)
Bethany Drive, Val Del Road, Wild Adventures
The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-07-11–lcc-packet
See also the agenda.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 12, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
- Call to Order
- Invocation
- Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
- Minutes for Approval
- Appointments
- Public Hearing
- REZ-2021-08 O'Neal Properties, 2547 US HWY 84 W (0089 095/094), R-21 to C-H, Well & Septic, 4.53 Acres
Documents:REZ-2021-08 ONeal Properties, 2547 US HWY 84 W.pdf
- REZ-2021-09 Building Valdosta Subdivision (0070 018), R-A to R-21, Community Well & Septic, ~64.84 acres
- REZ-2021-10 Wombles, Lineberger Road (0091 037), E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, 6.0 acres
Documents:REZ-2021-10 Wombles, Lineberger Road.pdf
- REZ-2021-11 The Landings (PD Amendment), Val Del Road (0071 056), County Water & Sewer, ~65 acres
Documents:REZ-2021-11 The Landings (PD Amendment), Val Del Road.pdf
- Street Lighting Ordinance Amendment 7
- Beer and Wine License – Jonathan Vigue with HFE Valdosta, LLC., DBA Wild Adventures Theme Park – 3766 Old Clyattville Rd., Valdosta, GA
- For Consideration
- Bid
- Reports – County Manager
- Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address
- Adjournment
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!
-jsq
After discussion Monday morning, on Tuesday evening the Lowndes County Commission will approve spending $2 million tax dollars, mostly in $1.6 million on Lake Park Bellville Road, including relocating water and sewer lines. There’s another $90,000 on Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases.
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| $1,655,975.00 | Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Contract Item Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding Lake Park Bellville Road |
| $280,193.75 | FY 2020 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Application |
| $90,670.31 | Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases |
| $29,400.00 | Cybersecurity Maturity Tier 1 |
| $12,500.00 | Agreement with SGRC to Develop 2021 Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update |
| $20,000.00 | FY 2020 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant (to be fully reimbursed) |
| $2,068,739.06 | Total |
REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne 6712 Clyattstone Road is back yet again, this time probably to be improved. The agenda sheet says no cost for that rezoning, but remember last time we added up more than $3 million the county has already spent on Clyattstone Road and water and sewer infrastructure.
The least expensive item with dollars listed is FY 2020 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant, because it will be fully reimbursed.
Also inexpensive and probably cost-effective is Agreement with SGRC to Develop 2021 Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update.
![[Subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County, GA]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-01-25--lcc-packet/many.jpg)
Subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County, GA
Listed at no cost to the county is Addition to Basic Decorative Street Lighting District – Creekside West, Ph. 6 & 7 and Val Del Villas, which includes maps of subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County, allowing you to see the extent of sprawl so far in that direction.
The board packet is on the LAKE website, received Friday in response to a LAKE open records request.
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-01-25–lcc-packet/
We look forward to board packets being on the county’s own website along with the agenda.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
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.
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
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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
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]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2020-08-24--lcc-packet/August-24--25-2020-Commission-Meeting-Packet-0012.jpg)
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
Continue reading
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
![[The three rezonings]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-08-09--lcc-packet/many.jpg)
![[Rezonings, Juvenile Justice, Moody AFB water & wastewater]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-07-12--lcc-work-videos/many.jpg)
![[Map: Uvalde Land Company, LLC:]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/glpc/2021-07-26--glpc-packet/map-uvalde.jpg)
![[GLPC Agenda July 2021]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/glpc/2021-07-26--glpc-packet/GLPC-Agenda-July-2021-0001.jpg)
![[Survey Plat]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2020-09-21--lcc-packet/September-21--22-2020-Commission-Meeting-Packet-0014.jpg)